[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11361]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


 RECOGNIZING THE OUTSTANDING SERVICE OF COLONEL JOHN G. BUCK, DISTRICT 
    COMMANDER FOR THE SEATTLE DISTRICT, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DEREK KILMER

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 20, 2017

  Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 26 year 
service record of Colonel John G. Buck, District Commander for the 
Seattle District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and I am proud to 
offer my sincere congratulations on his upcoming retirement.
  Col. Buck received his U.S. Army commission in 1991 from the United 
States Military Academy. He has served in various leadership positions 
throughout the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.
  In 2005, he was awarded the Bronze Order of the de Fleury Medal for 
his outstanding performance of duty. He then served as commander of the 
14th Engineer Battalion at Joint Base Lewis McChord, where he 
effectively trained a battalion for deployment to Afghanistan. His 
successful training methods served as a model for other engineering 
units.
  Throughout his career, Col. Buck has demonstrated strong dedication 
and leadership that has been an asset in every position he has held, 
exemplifying the values and ideals of the U.S. Army and the Corps of 
Engineers.
  I have had the honor of knowing and working with Col. Buck over the 
past three years while he served as Commander of the Seattle District 
where he spearheaded the advancement of a number of key projects for 
the State of Washington.
  During his tenure, the Seattle District successfully completed their 
first two favorable reports in nearly a decade. Thanks to his 
direction, the Puget Sound Nearshore Restoration Project and the 
Skokomish River Ecosystem Restoration Project were approved and 
congressionally authorized in 2016. Collectively these projects 
represent roughly half a billion dollars in new authority to complete 
over 2,000 acres of aquatic ecosystem restoration in our state. This is 
an enormous accomplishment.
  I am also especially grateful for his hard work and dedication to 
resolving a difficult and complicated permitting issue and providing 
some much needed regulatory clarity to shellfish growers in our region. 
Thanks to his efforts, more people will have more economic opportunity.
  Mr. Speaker, it is truly an honor to represent a man of this caliber 
here in our nation's capital. I am humbled to be able to speak in 
recognition of his impressive career and service record today in the 
United States' Congress, and I am grateful for the many contributions 
he has made to our country as well as the State of Washington.

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